Owner and Attorney, Warner Law Offices
Photo by Steve Payne.
By Jamie Null
Despite a successful career as owner and attorney at Warner Law Offices, Bobby Warner considers his greatest role to be that of father to his three children. While he will be happy as long as they each find fulfilling careers, the highlight of his legal career would be one day sharing the courtroom with one of them.
Family has always been important to Warner, who grew up at Lake Floyd, near Clarksburg, WV, with his three siblings. He attended West Virginia University for both undergrad and law school, where the hardest part was striking a balance between his personal life and academics.
“For me, the most challenging part was balancing school, my social life and my passion for hunting,” he says. “I would schedule classes so I could hunt half of the day and go to school the other half.”
Professor Forest “Jack” Bowman helped Warner stay on track during law school. “He taught me the importance of writing down long-term goals and reviewing and editing my progress,” says Warner. “To this day, I review my short- and long-term goals because of him.”
Warner’s first job out of law school was with Huddleston Bolen, after which he decided to open his own firm because he wanted to represent individuals, not corporations. “I felt passionate about helping people in their most difficult times,” he says. “I had a real sense of purpose going into work each day.”
Today, Warner Law Offices has locations in Denver, CO, and Charleston, WV, with clients in 37 states. The firm’s primary practice is personal injury; however, it also handles employment cases. According to Warner, the biggest test for all lawyers is being able to find a balance between work and home.
“Years ago, I decided my family would always be my number one priority,” he says. “My personal well-being would always be my second, and work would be third. It was the best decision I ever made.”
Warner’s commitment to hard work and integrity has not been overlooked by the legal community. Throughout the years, he has been named a West Virginia Super Lawyer, Charleston Newspapers’ Best Attorney, 2018 West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow, 2014 West Virginia Executive Young Gun and a Top 100 Trial Lawyer.
Community service is important to Warner. In 2008, he and his wife, Michelle, established the Warner Family Foundation as a way to give back to various organizations throughout West Virginia. Inspired by his love for the outdoors, Warner also founded Beyond the Backyard, a program that promotes sports and exposes children to hunting, fishing and camping.
He also created a booster seat program at his firm for lower income families in the state after he represented a young boy who was injured in an automobile accident. The child was not in a booster seat because the family could not afford one.
“It was like someone kicked me in the gut,” he says. “I could not imagine having to choose between feeding my children or keeping them safe. I am happy to say that Warner Law Offices has now given out more than 1,000 booster seats to lower income families across West Virginia.”
Another way Warner gives back to his profession and the community is by mentoring young lawyers. “I had several extraordinary mentors when I started my solo practice,” he says. “Their support, advice and counsel were invaluable in helping me create a solid foundation upon which to build my practice. I have always felt that it is my duty and my honor to help the solo practitioners who have come behind me.”
Warner’s sincerity in helping others both in and out of the courtroom leaves no doubt that he loves his profession and the Mountain State.
“West Virginia is everything to me,” he says. “It’s where I was born and raised and where my children were born. I love a good fight, and I love protecting people who are being bullied. To this day, I still get fired up in my cases when I see companies taking advantage of people or using their power over good, hard-working West Virginians. While it got me in trouble when I was younger, that willingness to fight for others has helped me tremendously as a lawyer.”
